MAC Medium Deep Star-Dipped Face Compact Review & Swatches
Medium Deep
MAC Medium Deep Star-Dipped Face Compact ($42.50 for 0.48 oz.) is a new, limited edition foursome that includes a bronzer, one blush, and two highlighters, all of which are in the Extra Dimension formula. Three of the four shades in the quad have been seen before, though this is the first time MAC has housed them in a quad format, which makes the price point a lot more palatable (they can get quite pricey as standalone purchases).
The key to working with this formula is understanding that they tend to be a bit denser, firmer, so they work better with a moderate hand and moderately dense brushes to pick up product evenly. The result is a powder that melts into the skin and never looks powdery or caked on. All four shades had good pigmentation, were blendable, and lasted between eight and nine hours; they had minor areas where they could have been improved (all noted in detail below).
The Extra Dimension formula is marketed as having 10-hour wear, and while these had good wear–eight to nine hours–they weren’t quite full 10-hour wear, but there was certainly some product left at the 10-hour mark.
Ingredients
Medium Deep
LELimited Edition. $42.50.
Delphic
Delphic is a light-medium brown with strong, warm undertones and a satin finish. It had excellent color payoff that applied well to bare skin with a smooth, even lay down of product that blended out seamlessly. The texture was smooth to the touch, dense but not stiff, and had a more natural sheen that came through when the product was buffed onto my skin. This shade wore nicely for eight and a half hours before I noticed fading.
Top Dupes
- Gucci Beauty Medium (03) (P, $62.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- NABLA Cosmetics Dune (P, $26.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- MAC Baby Girl (LE, $28.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light (P, $52.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Natural Sandstone (LE, $16.50) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Make Up For Ever #25I (P, $36.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Bronze Dynasty (LE, $4.99) is lighter (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild You're Dragon Me Down (LE, $4.99) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Guerlain Terre d'Ete (LE, $78.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Chanel Lumiere d'Ete (LE, $80.00) is cooler (90% similar).
Ingredients
Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Dicalcium Phosphate, Squalane, Ptfe, Dimethicone, Lauroyl Lysine, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Silica, Tin Oxide, Polysorbate 80, Caprylyl Glycol, Zinc Stearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Carmine (Ci 75470), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Delphic
LELimited Edition. $34.00.
Cloudy Copper
Cloudy Copper is a soft, golden bronze with warm undertones and a metallic sheen. It had opaque color coverage in a single layer, which applied evenly to bare skin and blended out with ease. The finish seemed slightly more intense compared to most Extra Dimension shades, and I found it emphasized my skin’s natural texture slightly.
This seemed to soften a bit after an hour of wear, though. The consistency was dense without being overly firm that it became stiff, so the powder was still easy enough to work with so long as I used a moderately dense brush to pick up product. It stayed on well for eight and a half hours before fading a bit.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Bobbi Brown Sunkissed Glow (P, $48.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Glo Up (LE, $8.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Santos (LE, $8.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Zoeva Surreal (P, $26.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Poolside (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Seductive Beauty (Bronze) (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- MAC Royal Vibrancy (LE, $44.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer (P, $24.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- IT Cosmetics Warm Radiance (P, $34.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (85% similar).
- Give Me Glow Take Me to the Tropics (P, $17.25) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$31.00/0.14 oz. - $221.43 Per Ounce
The Extra Dimension Blush formula is supposed to have ālong-wearing colour with prismatic reflectionsā that wears for ā10 hours.ā The formula is typically very pigmented with a soft, smooth texture thatās firmer in the pan but not difficult to useāI had no issues grabbing color with even my softest brushesāand has no dustiness or powderiness in the pan. The blushes are usually blendable with a luminous glow on the cheeks that did not emphasize my skinās natural texture. With MACās newly-added permanent shades, the wear time has ranged from eight to ten hours.
Browse all of our MAC Extra Dimension Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, C12-20 Acid Peg-8 Ester, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Squalane, Glycerin, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dicalcium Phosphate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Polysorbate 80, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Carmine (Ci 75470), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Cloudy Copper
LELimited Edition. $31.00.
Snowflushed
Snowflushed has a peachy-brown base with warm, yellowish undertones paired with gold to pink shifting sparkle. This was a fairly sparkly finish, and the pink shift was noticeable when it was applied to my skin. The peach-brown base came through as a soft bronzer/blush on my cheeks, while the pink reflected from the higher points.
The texture was soft, smooth, and dense without being too firmly-pressed into the pan, so it managed not to be powdery but was still easy to apply and blend out on my cheeks. It lasted beautifully for eight and a half hours but had slight sparkle migration over time.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- MAC Stylishly Merry #2 (LE, $20.00) is more shimmery, darker, more pigmented (95% similar).
- Too Faced Canary Diamond (P, $34.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- MAC Delicate Drift (LE, $20.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Theia (LE, $39.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Dazzlepink (LE, $34.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Stila Mystere (LE, $28.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Stila Painted Lady (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath VR Violet (PiP, $25.00) is darker (85% similar).
- Smashbox Prismatic Petal (LE, $39.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- ColourPop Time Out (LE, $4.50) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$44.00/0.31 oz. - $141.94 Per Ounce
The Extra Dimension Skinfinish formula is supposed to give āthe perfect glow to the skinā with a ācreamy powder formulaā that wears for ā10 hours.ā Itās a powder highlighter that Iād describe as a moderate to intense highlighter, and they come in varying hues with some that might work as highlighting blushes/bronzers are on some skin tones and true highlighters on other skin tones. In general, the formula is very pigmented, blendable, and wears around eight to nine hours on me.
Browse all of our MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish swatches.
Ingredients
Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, C12-20 Acid Peg-8 Ester, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Squalane, Glycerin, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dicalcium Phosphate, Polysorbate 80, 1,2-Hexanediol, Silica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Caprylyl Glycol, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Carmine (Ci 75470), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Snowflushed
LELimited Edition. $44.00.
Oh, Darling!
Oh, Darling! is a bright, medium gold with strong, warm undertones and a metallic finish. It was richly pigmented with a smooth consistency that was denser without being too firmly pressed into the pan–so no powderiness but it picked up well with a typical, tapered highlighting brush. The powder applied evenly to my skin and blended out with little effort, and the shimmer didn’t emphasize my skin’s natural texture. It wore well for nine hours before I noticed slight fading.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Tarte Whimsical (LE, $29.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Always One Jump Ahead (LE, $35.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Rosy Cheer (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Gold Ore (P, $39.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Magic Star (LE, $45.00) is more shimmery, more muted (95% similar).
- Catrice Warm Embrace (P, $6.99) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Rare Beauty Exhilarate (P, $25.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- ColourPop On the Loose (PiP, $12.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Maybelline Molten Gold (P, $9.99) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Dose of Colors Gold is the New Black (P, $28.00) is brighter (95% similar).
Formula Overview
$44.00/0.31 oz. - $141.94 Per Ounce
The Extra Dimension Skinfinish formula is supposed to give āthe perfect glow to the skinā with a ācreamy powder formulaā that wears for ā10 hours.ā Itās a powder highlighter that Iād describe as a moderate to intense highlighter, and they come in varying hues with some that might work as highlighting blushes/bronzers are on some skin tones and true highlighters on other skin tones. In general, the formula is very pigmented, blendable, and wears around eight to nine hours on me.
Browse all of our MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish swatches.
Ingredients
Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, C12-20 Acid Peg-8 Ester, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Squalane, Glycerin, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dicalcium Phosphate, Polysorbate 80, 1,2-Hexanediol, Silica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Caprylyl Glycol, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Carmine (Ci 75470), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
These face shades are completely wrong for me, but your eye look is making me want that Huda Nude Light eye palette that I thought I was safe from buying.
I said no to it, and then I bought it. Itās perfect for āprettyā looks. Very feminine.
This is stunning! Perfect for medium up through rich tones, too. I’m getting it even though I have the ribbon Snowflushed from last year. It’s too pretty to destroy, but stars aren’t!
The `they tend to be a bit denser, firmer, so they work better with a moderate hand and moderately dense brushes to pick up product evenly` is exactly what I like about MAC blush formula. š
These all seem to be in the same shade family. I’m in the medium olive skintone range and the other quad seemed more appealing to me with different colors.
Another fantastic face palette from MAC – really excellent quality. The only concern would be that there was not quite enough differentiation between the shades in that they all looked fairly similar to me.
This is gorgeous, it should work for NC30 skintone.
I love this! I wish it wasn’t too dark for me, but I think it is.
Snowflushed looks absolutely gorgeous on you
These are just beautiful but too dark for my complexion.
Do they make a fair or lighter version?
Yes, they make a lighter version!
I’m so glad that I bought two of these. Now one will stay pretty forever and my snowflushed from last year with the ribbon will stay pretty too!!! I was starting to worry about the design going away because I love that highlighter so much, and now I have one I can use all the time with no worries ??
Both these palettes turned out beautifully. Neither colour story is my jam, but I like what I see. Snowflushed..so darn pretty!
MAC hit it out of the park with these. They deserve to do exceptionally well.
Iām kinda digging the fact that they are all in the same shade family as I like layering and playing with monochromatic colors.
I am not a bronzer and highlighter person and I’m living fine with the few compacts and palettes I have in this area, but I am so pleased to see a MAC product receiving an “A” and the little stars are SOOOOOooo appealing! That said, I’l avoid it and who knows, maybe one day I’ll see it on sale or receive it as a gift. (I can hope!)